SCS-C02 Identity and Access Management Practice Question
This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of identity and access management. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company manages a multi-account AWS environment using AWS Organizations. The security team wants to enforce that all Amazon S3 buckets in the organization are encrypted with AWS KMS customer managed keys (CMKs) and that no unencrypted buckets can be created. They also want to ensure that the encryption settings cannot be changed by account administrators. The team uses AWS CloudTrail to log all S3 API calls and wants to detect any attempts to create unencrypted buckets. The security team creates a service control policy (SCP) that denies s3:PutBucketEncryption and s3:PutBucketPolicy unless the request includes a specific encryption setting. However, they find that a developer in a member account was able to create an unencrypted bucket using the AWS Management Console. The CloudTrail logs show that the bucket was created with the s3:CreateBucket API call without specifying any encryption parameters. What should the security team do to prevent this from happening?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Modify the SCP to deny s3:CreateBucket unless the request includes the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id header.
D: Correct – The SCP should deny s3:CreateBucket if the request does not include the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id header. This prevents creation of unencrypted buckets. A: Incorrect – CloudTrail is already logging; additional logging does not prevent the action. B: Incorrect – IAM permissions boundary does not override SCP; the SCP should already prevent the action, but it was not effective because the SCP did not deny s3:CreateBucket without encryption. C: Incorrect – S3 Block Public Access does not enforce encryption.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Modify the SCP to deny s3:CreateBucket unless the request includes the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id header.
Why this is correct
Correct – Denies creation of unencrypted buckets via SCP.
Related concept
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
✗
Enable CloudTrail Insights to detect unusual S3 activity and create a CloudWatch alarm.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect – This detects but does not prevent the action.
✗
Attach an IAM permissions boundary to all IAM roles used by developers that denies s3:CreateBucket.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect – Permissions boundaries do not override SCP; the SCP should be fixed.
✗
Enable S3 Block Public Access at the account level to prevent unencrypted bucket creation.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect – Block Public Access does not enforce encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
The first matching ACL entry is used.
There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
→Check inbound versus outbound direction.
→Read the ACL from top to bottom.
→Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SCS-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
Identity and Access Management — This question tests Identity and Access Management — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Modify the SCP to deny s3:CreateBucket unless the request includes the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id header. — D: Correct – The SCP should deny s3:CreateBucket if the request does not include the x-amz-server-side-encryption-aws-kms-key-id header. This prevents creation of unencrypted buckets. A: Incorrect – CloudTrail is already logging; additional logging does not prevent the action. B: Incorrect – IAM permissions boundary does not override SCP; the SCP should already prevent the action, but it was not effective because the SCP did not deny s3:CreateBucket without encryption. C: Incorrect – S3 Block Public Access does not enforce encryption.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related SCS-C02 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
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Question Discussion
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